1 : Egypt
Somabay 5th
GOLF COURSES – RED SEA RIVIERA
If you can tear yourself away from its inviting sands and clear , warm waters , Egypt ’ s Red Sea Riviera offers glorious golf . Just 20 minutes south of Hurghada International Airport , Somabay is an upmarket resort where the signature Gary Player-designed championship course , recently relaid with salt-tolerant Paspalum Platinum grass to help cut water usage , is at its heart . Several holes of the 7,000-yard course are set along low cliffs edged by the Red Sea , leading to Player describing it as “ the Pebble Beach of Arica ”.
Its signature hole , the par-3 5th , plays just over 200 yards from the back tees to a green on a promontory jutting out into the sea and a wraparound bunker catching shots that are too short or scoot off the putting surface – which is where I stick my shot from the blue , 170-yard tee .
The par-4 6th is another wonderful hole , playing right
9 DestinationGolf . travel
14 DestinationGolf . travel along the coast to a raised green with panoramic sea views . The day after my round , I video former world golf trick shot champion Geoff Swain nail his drive straight down the middle of the fairway after the ball is juggled into the air for him by Somabay head golf pro Mohammed Kahoul , having done the same onto the green on the 5th after throwing it up in the air himself . I ’ m left in awe of both shots . Other standout holes on the course are the 14th , a shorter par 3 with a carry over a desert ravine to a green guarded by bunkers with the sea directly behind , the par-4 15th that arcs around the rugged coast to a green set just above waves breaking on the coral shelf , the par-4 12th with its split fairway , and the 9th and 18th holes , a par 5 and par 4 respectively . They both play towards The Cascades hotel , ending the front and back nine loops at greens either side of a lagoon in front of the hotel .
I ’ m thankful for the light zephyr of a breeze during my round . When the wind comes up off the sea – which it does frequently , hence Somabay ’ s popularity for kitesurfing – the course can be brutal .
Somabay recently opened a new Par 3 Challenge Course , designed by Tim Lobb and EDI Golf ’ s James Edwards under its Sustainability Vision after the previous par 3 course was torn up in 2019 . I play it under floodlights and its tricky , sloping greens and water hazards on some holes are just the job for honing my short irons , wedges and putter .
Also floodlit are a double-ended driving range and a brand-new Short Game Arena , the brainchild of Edwards that offers 20 zones of differing lengths for dedicated short-game practice and also provides a testing putting course .